I was thinking that I covered a great deal of material last week, and was a little concerned that people were not paying enough attention. So, just to make sure that doesn’t happen again, I’m springing an unannounced quiz on you. I’ll keep it simple, mostly True- False, and I’ll give you immediate feedback, but you are going to need a writing utensil. I’ll wait. After each question select one of the following responses. A) TRUE   B) MOSTLY TRUE  C) ALMOST TRUE  D) FALSE

1. Rex Ryan proved my assertion that he is not a good head coach.  The answer is obviously A. His team just wasn’t prepared, they were overly emotional, had 19 penalties called against them, and never really adjusted. If the Pats had played the 4th quarter smarter, it never would have gotten close.

1. I thought that the Bills defensive line was going to be too much for the Pats, and that Buffalo would prevail, 20-13. D. False. Although I was concerned that the Pats young interior O linemen might have issues, I still predicted that they would win. The Boston Globe on the other hand picked the bills, 20-17.  

1. My prediction that Pats RB LaGarrette Blount was going to have a big game turned out to be totally true. D) According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Blount was in for only 7 of 147 total snaps, while the “Nameless One” AKA Dion Lewis, was in for 73.

1. The trouble that the 49ers had covering the Steelers’ Antionio Brown, made you appreciate the job Malcolm Butler did against him in game one all the more. B) This is a Mostly True one. Brown had 9 catches for 195 yards and  a TD against SF, and 9 for 133 yards, and a TD against the Patriots. Not exactly shutting him down, but 62 yards is substantial and likely the difference between a win and a loss.

1. Peyton Manning proved in Denver’s victory over KC, that he still has plenty left in the tank and I should retract my assertion that he is done. C) This is almost true, but not quite. I have to believe that if you are a Broncos fan you feel that your team was constructed to win despite Manning and not necessarily because of him. His throws really lack much zip and likely will become even more labored when the weather gets cold.

1. The Patriots are out for revenge following all the “Deflategate” charges. A) This is true, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with it. Yes, I’d love to see them crush the Colts and one or two other teams, but my concern is that this is going to lead to them leaving people in games lower than needed and risking injuries unnecessarily. As I mentioned above, the fact that they didn’t play smart in the 4th quarter of the Bills game is what allowed them to get back into it, and made it a much closer finish then it should have been.

1. The SeaHawks are well on their way to returning to the Super Bowl. C) The answer to this may change in time as they do have Kam Chancellor back and that will help them get their defense squared away, but they are 0-2 in a competitive division, and are still showing signs of imploding, so keep watching.

Well, that should be enough for me to figure out how much attention you’ve been paying. Correct your work and send me your grades, and until next time….Stay tuned!